Easy Flaky Cinnamon Biscuits Recipe

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Many a beautiful culinary creation has come out of the Southern U.S., though perhaps no Southern delicacy graces tables more frequently than the humble and wonderfully versatile biscuit. Not to be confused with British biscuits (which are always sweet and perfect for dunking in a cup of tea) or scones, Southern biscuits make the ideal accompaniment for just about any meal, and can be enjoyed either sweet or savory.

These easy flaky cinnamon biscuits, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, are simple to make and even easier to eat afterwards. With just a little elbow grease, the help of a food processor, a bit of folding, and a biscuit cutter, you will be rewarded with your own batch of wonderfully soft and perfectly risen flaky cinnamon biscuits. This recipe also boasts an equally easy-to-make cream cheese glaze, which pairs perfectly with the tender spiced biscuits, adding just enough sweetness to keep you coming back for another bite (and then another).

To begin this easy flaky cinnamon biscuits recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, sea salt, cold butter, and buttermilk. For the cream cheese glaze to drizzle over the cinnamon biscuits, you will additionally want cream cheese, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, and whole milk.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

To begin the biscuits, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt to a food processor.

Blend for 15 to 20 seconds to combine.

Add the cold, diced butter to the flour mixture and pulse several times to partly combine the butter, breaking it into small pieces.

In a bowl, combine the flour and butter mixture with the buttermilk, stirring until a rough dough has formed.

Lightly flour a surface and then turn out the biscuit dough.

Press the dough out with your fingers into a rectangular shape roughly ½-inch thick.

Fold the outer two thirds of the dough over the middle section, layering over each other. Slightly press the dough out to form a rough rectangle shape once again.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the pressing and folding process another 4 times, each time rotating the dough, folding the outer two thirds in, and slightly pressing the dough back into a rectangle shape.

After the dough has been layered, press it back into a rectangle shape, between ½ and 1 inch thick.

Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, press firmly down on the dough, without twisting, to form biscuits.

Transfer the cut biscuits onto a parchment-lined baking tray.

Bake the biscuits for 11 to 12 minutes, until they are slightly risen and golden.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and set aside to cool.

While the biscuits cool, make the glaze. Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl and beat (either using a hand mixer or stand mixer attachment) for 10 to 15 seconds.

Add the vanilla extract and beat once more to combine.

Add half of the powdered sugar to the cream cheese, mix until smooth, and then add the remaining powdered sugar, once again mixing until fully smooth.

Mix in the milk to thin out the glaze.

Once the cinnamon biscuits have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle over the glaze. Serve right away.

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One of the simplest ways to adapt this biscuit recipe is by mixing in different spices. Cinnamon is wonderful on its own, but you can substitute this popular spice with a cinnamon-sugar blend for added sweetness, a pumpkin spice mix, or a combination of your own creation. Ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom all make great options alongside the cinnamon, and they'd all work well in this biscuit recipe. For a slightly bolder flavor addition, try folding in some orange or lemon zest, or fold in some dried chopped fruits for a more full-on fruity experience. Alternatively, you can fold in some chopped pecans for a more nutty finish.

The cream cheese glaze adds a sort of cinnamon roll style to these cinnamon biscuits, but you can omit this glaze if you want, or substitute it for something slightly different. A sweet maple or honey butter glaze would be equally delicious, and you can keep these tips for making glazes for baked goods in mind for optimal glazed goodness.

While it is undeniable that biscuits are at their absolute best when fresh from the oven, this recipe does make 12 total biscuits, so you might not be able to finish them in one sitting. As such, it's a good idea to consider the best ways to keep biscuits fresh should you have leftovers. Firstly, we recommend only adding the cream cheese glaze to your biscuits when you are ready to eat them to stop them from getting soggy if left for longer periods of time. It also makes the storage much easier, as these biscuits can safely be kept at room temperature for up to 2 days; just make sure to keep them in an airtight container or bag to help them from going stale. The cream cheese glaze should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge, and will keep well for 3 to 4 days.

Alternatively, you can make the dry cinnamon biscuit mix ahead of time and freeze it, so that you have an easier way to assemble and bake these biscuits when the occasion arises. To do this, simply follow the recipe up to the point where the butter has been combined with the cinnamon-flour mixture, before the buttermilk is added. Then just place the flour and butter mixture into the freezer until you are ready to mix in your buttermilk and bake the biscuits. 

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